Starcrossed
by Shini02
Summary: When stars fall to earth, Heaven doesn't exist anymore. Set in the modern era. 6th chapter: Disassociation: There is no peace for him. He's haunted.
1. Heaven Sent

**Disclaimer:** I only own Jael. And this fic. Draco's not mine, though I wish he were.

* * *

**Heaven-Sent**

He had spent centuries being weightless, drifting and watching as man evolved into a deceitful, selfish breed. Humans no longer believed in the magic that birthed the creatures that ran rampant in their fairytales and in their wildest dreams. Where they were once called God, dragons were now fabled monsters in modern lore.

And now the weight of the world was upon him, pulling at him until he was in free-fall. He found himself praying for wings as he plummeted, wishing to catch the wind that rushed passed him and fly back to the safety and comfort of the Heavens. But his prayers weren't answered. Heaven couldn't hear him – because Heaven didn't _exist_ anymore.

---

For the first time in her life, Jael couldn't count the stars in the sky. There had to be hundreds of them, sparkling and dazzling. She wondered idly, tucking a lock of her shoulder-length hair behind an ear, if anyone else was mad enough to bare witness to the stars at such an ungodly hour of the night. Probably not, she decided with a sigh and gripped the rusted iron railing in both hands.

A flicker in the distance caught her eye. She squinted but was unable to find the source of the strange glitter. Another flicker, and this time she saw it. Though she found it hard to believe – and she hoped it was her mind playing tricks on her. There was no way she had just witnessed a star going out. But, then, why did the sky suddenly seem so dark? So empty?

Her grip on the railing tightened, turning her knuckles white. She stared hard at the last star, half of her daring it to go out, the other half hoping against hope that it would just shine _brighter_ to make up for all the others that had gone out. And it didn't go out. The fading star started to fall. Slowly at first, then faster. _Faster_, until she could see the glimmering tail of starlight behind the heavenly body as it fell. Then she saw nothing, nothing but whiteness all around her.

---

He groaned as he opened his eyes slowly to a blurred, unfamiliar world. Perhaps it was the fall, or maybe the landing, but it took long minutes before he came to his senses. Before he became aware of things he had been lacking for centuries. Things like a body, and breath, and a heartbeat. It took even longer before he could find the will to move an arm, raise a hand to his chest and feel just how _alive_ he was.

And longer still before he realized his body was all wrong.

---

Jael woke with her heart pounding and her body quivering. She hoisted herself out of bed, not bothering to look at the time. It was impulse driving her to the balcony, causing her to seek any truth that may have been waiting out there in the midnight.

Outside, she walked cautiously to the place she stood in her dream and watched the sky. There were no stars. Not even the moon dared to show Her face tonight. She sighed, ready to put her dream behind her and head back to bed. But a downward glance changed her plans and made her blood run cold and her heart pound harder than ever.

"What in the name of hell..." she whispered to herself and leaned over the rail, squinting through the darkness to see the creature in her backyard better. At first glance, it – _he_ – seemed human. But a second glance wiped her mental slate clean. First and foremost, she realized he had wings. Then she noticed the tail, and the horns and the _scales_

_Dragon_ was the first word that came to mind, and no matter how she tried to shake it, the notion wouldn't budge. She played her palms against the rusted railing and bit her bottom lip. Maybe this was just another dream and maybe she would wake up at any second and –

She met his eyes and knew then that it was all real. Whimpering inwardly, she spun on her heel and rushed inside, but didn't head to the safety of her bed. She went to the back door and down the spiral staircase. Before she could give her actions a second thought, she pushed the old metal door open and stepped into the yard.

Jael played was wringing her hands together nervously by the time she closed the distance between herself and the strange male now sitting in the middle of her backyard. He rose an eyebrow, then canted his head to the side and she wondered what he was thinking.

"Uhm," she mumbled, not quite sure how to approach him.

"Hello," he spoke up, voice quiet and cracking as though it hadn't been used in a very, very long time.

Hearing him speak was a small relief. And she let out the sigh to show it before asking in a stammer, "what...? Where...?"

A rumble rose from the back of his throat as he slowly hefted himself to his feet. He towered over her by quite a few inches once he was upright. "A dragon," he stated in a haughty tone, like it should have been obvious to her. Then he pointed skyward. "Up there," he said in response to her second question.

She stared at him. "Waitasec. You're... a dragon?" she asked and he nodded. She wrinkled her nose. "You don't... look like a dragon to me."

He chuckled and looked at his hands, flexing his fingers until the tips of his talons were digging into his palms. "I don't look much like a dragon to me, either, little one." He caught the what-are-you-on-about look she gave him and cleared his throat. "I myself am not quite sure. Like you, I've only just discovered myself like this."

She furrowed her brow and shifted uneasily on her feet. "Well, then... What did you mean by...?" She pointed up the way he had moments before. "Did you fall outta the sky or something?"

He looked to the ground, flexing his toes against the dirt and grass. "I suppose you could say that."

She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but chose not to. Instead, she cocked her head to the side. "My name's Jael. What's yours?"

"My name? Oh, it's," and the sound that escaped his mouth, that strange mixture of growls and grunts, made her take a step back.

"What?"

He opened his mouth and then shook his head, whispering a quiet "no."

"No, what?"

"Jael," he said, "my name is..."

"Is...?"

He looked to the sky slowly. "Draco," he whispered, and something in the way he said his name made her heart ache. It sounded far too much like the vain and hopeless prayer of a sinner.


	2. Almost Human

**Disclaimer:** I... still only own Jael.

* * *

**Almost Human**

He had assumed the worst he would need to come to terms with would be the strange body he had been reborn into. He had been terribly, terribly wrong. Once Jael had led him into her home, he had learned very quickly that the world had changed more than he thought it had. From Heaven, he had seen the machines man made through the ages, but he had never imagined how dependent humankind had become on those mechanical monsters. When she caught him staring at the various electrical appliances in her kitchen, frightened, confused and awed all at once, she shrugged and said "this day and age... it's all about electric love."

Draco had hoped she had been joking. He had to learn to stop lying to himself. Between the light switches and the televisions and computers, it was clear man had become lazy. He could understand the conveniences, but he couldn't quite wrap his head around the way humans had lost the will to survive. Even now, days later and sitting on the couch, listening to the television as he watched Jael check her e-mail, he wasn't able to fully comprehend the absolute need for all of the machinery, and the pure lack of motivation to live without it.

"Jael?" He asked, standing and walking over to her slowly, glancing at the TV for a moment only because of the gunshot followed by the screaming.

"Yes?" She replied, peeking over her shoulder, fingers still moving like lightning over the keyboard.

He placed his hand onto the back of her chair, shamelessly watching the words she typed appearing on the screen. "Is all the world like this?"

"Like what?" She stopped typing and leaned back in the chair, jerking forward again seconds later after her shoulder-blade had come into contact with his knuckles. She eased herself around until her back was against the desk and her legs were folded against the back of the chair, able to look up at him properly.

Draco reached passed her with his free hand and mimicked what she had been doing earlier. He pressed a finger to a button on the keyboard and watched the letter J appear again and again until he released the plastic nub. He sighed.

"So sickeningly addicted to electronics?" Jael asked with a little, hollow chuckle. "Yeah, unfortunately. Well, more or less. Some third-world countries have been spared. Only because they can't afford it, though."

"It's sad to realize your machines are respected and worshiped more than my kind ever was," he said in a hush. She noticed his grip on the chair tighten, and the way he was now staring at his paling knuckles. "As if this body wasn't enough of an obstacle to overcome. How am I to settle comfortably into a world glorified through nameless and innumerable mechanics?" He shook his head and offered a half-smile to the young woman seated so awkwardly before him.

"If I knew..." Jael started when his solemn gaze met hers, but never finished what she had intended to say. She could only gape at the creature in front of her.

"Jael?" Draco asked, raising one eyebrow as the girl shifted off the chair and stood with a hand to her mouth, staring at him with awestruck and fearful eyes, the way she had the first time she saw him. "My God, child, what's wrong?"

Jael could only point to his hand clenched against the back of the chair. His scales were fading, giving way to pale skin. Draco lifted his hand to watch closer, and soon enough the entire limb was trembling. His talons softened and retracted a great deal, then whatever magic this was shot through his body like wild-fire. The scales vanished and vulnerable flesh was what was suddenly holding the beast together. His wings spread out wide and stiff, shrinking back into his body until they were what completed his strong shoulder blades. His mouth opened in a silent scream as rows of fangs were dulled and remade into things less intimidating. He sunk to his knees and held his head as his horns shrunk back, disappearing under his hair, just as his tail merged into his lower back.

When it was over, Jael, too, found herself on her knees, shaky hands reaching out to Draco. Flesh touched flesh and the young woman gasped, pulling her hands back as though she had touched flame instead.

"What...? What happened to you?"

Draco caught his breath before answering her. "Heaven knows," he muttered. "Quite literally." Jael could only assume he meant whatever remained of his after-life haven had done this to him.

"Are you alright?" She asked, putting her hands on her lap and leaning forward, neck craned to get a better look.

He slowly looked up. Brown eyes met her hazel ones and it was now her turn to catch her breath. "I am. A little shaken and uncomfortable, but I am alright." He straightened his back, she was certain she heard every inch of his spine crack, followed by his shoulders as he rolled them.

"We should get you dressed," Jael stated, standing, looking over his refined human features. She looked from his face, to his chest, then lower, and quickly found herself staring at his face again with a pink stain across the bridge of her nose. In haste, she decided he was well built. _All_ over. And that he looked as though he would be in his early thirties, if he were actually human.

"Dressed?" Draco repeated the suggestion inquisitively. "_Clothed_?"

Jael looked downward with only her eyes. Draco followed her gaze, then cleared his throat.

"Oh. I see," he said quietly, placing both hands tentatively over his crotch as he stood. Again, she heard bones cracking, joints popping as the new body was made to assume a new position. "I don't suppose you would have any clothing that would fit me on hand, would you?" He asked with the slightest smirk on his lips.

"Hold that thought," she mumbled as she slunk passed him quickly, darting into one of the spare rooms down the hall, the one he had been using as his own. A minute or so later she came out with a pair of black pants and a off-white sweater draped over her arm. When she was close enough, she tossed the clothes at the dragon and looked to the side as his hands abandoned their post to catch them.

"Lucky for you I never did get around to getting rid of my dad's old clothes after he took off," she muttered, then pointed to the bedroom. "Now go get dressed."

Jael sat down on the couch as Draco walked passed her, holding the bunch of clothing to his crotch decently. She caught a glimpse of supple, ivory flesh, then forced her eyes to remain locked onto her lap, only looking up once more when she heard the bedroom door close. That was when she sighed quietly and leaned back, head resting on the back of the couch, eyes on the ceiling.

Draco emerged from the room a few minutes later, tugging at the upturned cuffs of the sweater with an uneasy smile on his lips. Fisting his hands and forcing himself not to fuss with his attire once he noticed her watching him with a curiously raised eyebrow, he asked, "well? How do I look?"

Jael pushed herself out of her slump and made a motion for him to turn around. He did so, and she smoothed out the wrinkles in the back of the sweater. Then her hands were firm on his hips, urging him to turn around, and once they were face to face again, she offered a smile.

"Like you just walked out of a Klein add."

"I beg your pardon?"

Jael chuckled and shook her head. "Nevermind. You look fine."

Draco nodded and moved to sit beside her, hooking a finger into the collar of the sweater and tugging at it until he found it rested comfortably against him.

"This is terribly uncomfortable."

Jael rose both eyebrows, turning to rest her side to the back of the couch, folding both legs under her. "The clothes? Or the body?"

He hesitated before replying. "Both." He clenched his fists against his lap. "This body... It is a weak, pitiful thing. Fragile. Easy to break. I can feel it dying – or, at least, the allusion of human mortality." One hand relaxed and was raised to his chest, and his fingers traced the scar that the linen hid. "I'm still myself inside this guise – but it feels _real_. It's frightening."

Jael put a hand on his and squeezed it gently, attempting reassurance. "It's not so bad. Maybe you'll get used to it."

"I've died once before, child," he said in that hollow hush, "and I certainly will not enjoy living with this constant feeling of death creeping so close by."

Her grip on his hand tightened. "I'm sorry."

"What on earth for?"

"That you have to go through this. I know it's out of my hands, and apparently yours, too. But I know it isn't fair." She forced a weak smile. "That's life now-a-days. Unfair."

Draco chuckled. "Life was never fair, Jael. It never will be. Just because I am aware of that, does not mean I enjoy these little twists of fate."

Her smile was suddenly real and a little stronger. "Look on the bright side. At least you can go outside and try fitting into the world now."

"Maybe."

"Well, you look the part at least. Half-way to being human," she smirked a little.

Inside his chest, his half-heart thudded dully, and he smiled faintly at her. It was his turn to take her hand and give it a squeeze. "Half-way to being human. Half-dragon, then?" He questioned, then shook his head with the smile still on his lips. "Dear child," the words were dying into a whisper, "in this case, _almost_ isn't quite good enough."


	3. Dragon Man

**Disclaimer:** I own only Jael and Kay and the store, as well as its owner. Draco belongs to someone else, unfortunately.

**A/N:** And as of now, this series ties in with **_Flicker and Fade_**. Meaning, yes, Kay is infact the teen from that oneshot.

* * *

**Dragon Man**

The store smelt of aged paper, old leather and dust. The shopkeep rubbed at his eyes to rid them of the sting in the air as he shuffled out from behind the counter and through the rows of bookshelves to the young man walking at a snail's pace through each aisle. He watched as his most frequent visitor stopped his stride and ran a fingertip down the worn spine of a book old enough to be considered an antique. He cocked his head to the side and rose his hand, hooking that same fingertip into the top of the relic and tugging it forward, effortlessly catching it in his free hand with practiced ease.

"Today's victim, Kay?" The old store owner chuckled. The customer didn't look up as he flipped open the book and glanced over its contents.

"Probably," he said in response. A moment later, the book was closed and tucked under his arm. "Definitely."

The older man smirked and walked with Kay back to the counter. "Don't you have enough of these things?"

"No," came Kay's deadpan reply.

"Everyone needs a hobby, right?" The man in charge laughed. Kay didn't.

"I guess," he shrugged with one shoulder, then placed his intended purchase on the counter, his hand firmly on top of it. "How much?"

"That one," the old man said contemplatively, rubbing at his chin with his index finger and thumb. "I'll let you have it for five bucks."

But Kay didn't hear him, distracted by the quiet jingle of the old fashioned door bell, followed by a voice.

"Draco, come on!"

Then another, deeper voice.

"Jael – it looks to be cramped in there. I'd rather wait outside."

"You are such a drag sometimes," the young woman sighed and pushed at the door a little more, letting in a draft of cold January air. "But fine. Have it your way. I won't be long."

Kay watched her – Jael, the man outside had called her – step inside and let the door close behind her. She rubbed her gloved hands together before crossing her arms over her chest, walking passed both men to carry on with her purpose.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Jael turned around to look at the owner.

"May I help you?"

She looked around at the dusty shelves and nodded a few seconds later. "I think so, actually. Do you have anything on... dragons?"

"I – "

"He does," Kay said, pushing off the counter and pushing the book to the manager. He'd come back to pay for it later.

Jael looked at the raven-haired man before her. "Then, I suppose _you_ can help me?"

"Of course. What are you looking for, exactly?" Kay led her to the right and to the farthest aisle.

"I don't really know," she chuckled sheepishly. "Anything on dragons, really." And a book was suddenly being held out to her. Staring at the sullen boy with a furrowed brow, she took the book with a polite nod and continued to speak. "Their origins." Another book. That was when she stopped walking, looking down at the two books piled atop one another in her arms, then to the young man.

"Isn't that what you're looking for?" He asked, peering over what he'd given her.

"I... guess. But how do you know where these things are?" She asked, having noticed the store lacked specific arrangement. It was just an old book store with older books stacked on shelves waiting to be sold – or collect more dust. "Do you work here or something?"

"No. I just spend a lot of my time here." He glanced to the side and ran a hand over leathered spines until his hand tugged out a thick book and added it to her pile.

"Doing what, exactly?"

"Looking for books to add to my collection."

Jael watched him curiously as he led her down the next aisle. He knew what he was looking for, that was obvious. Glancing at the books in her arms, she assumed he must have bought the other copies considering he knew just where to go for these. And the one he just added to the stack.

"What kind of books?" She asked quietly, suddenly more focused on watching snow-soaked sneakers thud across the creaking wooden floor.

He held up a book in front of her, one with a Celtic dragon emblem strew across the front. "These kind of books."

"Oh," she said quietly and watched the book leave his hand and rest at the top of her small pile. Then her hand was on top of it and she smiled weakly at him. "That's good. Thank you, very much..."

"Kay."

She nodded. "Thank you, Kay. I doubt I would have found these without you," she chuckled and eased herself around him.

"So do I," he shrugged and walked his way around her, back to the counter.

Taken aback, she stalked after him. "And what's that supposed to mean?" She placed her books onto the counter, watching as Kay paid for his book.

"No one looks hard enough for them," he said, standing aside to let Jael pay for her things now.

"If you say so," Jael muttered, then smiled at the older man behind the counter after he'd bagged her books and handed them back to her. "Thank you," she nodded.

"Have a nice day," the owner said, and once her back was to them, he grinned at Kay. "That has to be the first time I've seen you take interest in another human being."

"That's the first time I've seen another human being worth taking interest in." Kay tucked his buy under his arm and nodded his farewell to the older man before breaking into a quickened stride to catch Jael at the door. She jerked back in surprise as his hand shot passed her own and opened the door for her.

"Thanks," she said quietly, uncertain. "Didn't have to, though. I'm a big girl, I can open doors all by myself."

"I hadn't noticed."

"If that was supposed to be funny, your sense of humor's drier than Death Valley," Jael chuckled a little as she walked through the open door and into January's icy embrace. "Shit, it's cold out here."

"Language," Draco chided from beside her, reaching for the bag around her wrist. Once the plastic bag was secured in his grip, he looked from Kay to Jael. "And who is this?"

"This is Kay. He helped pick the books," Jael said flippantly, then motioned from Kay to Draco. "And Kay, this is – "

"Draco," the young man said in a hush, staring at the older man at Jael's side. "I heard you say his name before you came into the store," he added in a moment later.

"Right," Jael said uneasily, edging closer to the dragon-in-human-skin. "Well, Kay, we should be going." She lifted an arm and wrapped it around Draco's to settle her nerves. She didn't like the way those ice blue eyes were so fixated on Draco. "It was nice meeting you," she murmured, tugging at the beast.

"You, too," Kay said. Blue eyes locked onto brown ones, ignoring a pair of hazel. Draco's eyes shimmered under the streetlight, brown giving way to amber, then to gold for a split second before a blink called forth the guise again.

Kay turned his attention skyward a moment later, as they walked away. He knew Draco was watching over his shoulder as Jael tugged at him, urging him to walk faster to get out of the cold. He stared at the sky, at the place where the stars were barely glittering.

_Draco_

Before heading off on his own, their eyes met again. And the ghost of a smile played across Kay's lips. He knew why the man was named after the stars.


	4. Heart to Heart

**Disclaimer:** Jael's mine. Draco isn't. No, Kay hasn't up and vanished. He's coming back in the next bit.

* * *

**Heart-to-Heart**

Jael hugged the flannel blanket closer to her as she turned onto her side on the couch. She had fallen asleep half-way through an episode of some crime drama Draco couldn't have been bothered to really pay all that much attention to. There had been something about a diseased woman needing human blood to sustain her, however by the time Jael had fallen asleep, Draco had long since lost interest. His attention had been given completely to the young lady curled up in a bundle of brown and white.

He hoisted himself off the chair he had been sitting on and crouched beside her for a moment. On impulse, he reached out and tucked the blanket in against her side, assuring her the warmth she had desperately sought all day. He hadn't understood the desperation, either. The temperature in the house had caused him discomfort most of the day. The turtleneck and slacks he had started his day with had been traded in for a loose t-shirt and jeans. Then the tee was shed for a tank top, which he still wore despite the way the simulated heat in the house made it cling uncomfortably to his body.

"Just walk around shirtless," Jael had said early in the day when she'd seen him come out of the bedroom, tugging down the tank top. She'd hugged her arms around herself tighter at the mere thought of ridding herself of the warmth of her woolen sweater.

"Excuse me?" He had asked in response, grip tightening on the hem of the black material.

"You're a guy. Guys walk around without shirts all the time," she shrugged.

"I've more decency than that, little one," Draco had assured her. "It wouldn't be proper to expose myself in such a way in front of a lady."

Jael had laughed a little at that. "When you were all scaly, you were walking around _naked_."

"And the scales hid that which should remain hidden."

Jael rose an eyebrow and grinned at him. "You mean your di–"

"Jael!"

The young woman had chuckled and left it at that. They had only known each other for a little less than a three weeks and Jael already knew that once his mind was made up, there would be no changing it. So if he didn't want to swallow his pride and lose the shirt for the sake of comfort, Jael figured it was as simple as letting him suffer.

But now it seemed the longer he stared at her tucked beneath the blanket, the longer his palm rested against the warm material, the hotter he felt. A trick of the mind, he knew, but that knowledge didn't make the strange sensations fade away. Pulling his hand back, he ran it through his bangs, sighing quietly. It couldn't hurt, he thought – and she is sleeping.

Shifting into a steadied squat, Draco caught the hem of the tank top in his hands again and tugged upward, slowly sloughing off the shirt. He then bunched it in one hand and quietly tossed it back to the chair he had been sitting in minutes ago, catching a glimpse of the crime drama again. Now the detective was searching the ill woman's home, finding quite a few refrigerated containers filled with human organs and blood.

"Thought you didn't wanna take your shirt off," Jael's sleepy voice dragged his attention back to her. She pushed the blanket down and slipped one arm out, the other a make-shift pillow for the time being.

"I thought you were sleeping," Draco admitted sheepishly, fighting the urge to go pick up his shirt and put it back on. Instead he shifted to his knees, fists clenched loosely against his lap.

"I was dozing," she said, brushing a lock of her bangs out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't," she smiled at him and pushed herself up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her legs even as she bent them under her. She patted the void space beside her and Draco obliged, getting up to sit beside her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Her eyes were on his chest. "How'd you get that scar?"

Draco felt something inside twist into an ugly knot that reminded him too much of another scar from long ago. "It is a long story, my dear. I doubt you'd care to hear it."

"Try me," Jael said, twisting around to rest her side to the back of the couch, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around her bundled legs.

Draco eyed her. He knew from the look on her face she truly did want to hear about it. He also knew she would pester him until she got it out of him. He sighed and nodded, raising a hand to run his fingertips lightly over the paler skin.

"A long, long time ago, a queen brought her son to me. The boy had been mortally wounded. He was dying. She asked me to save him." There was a pause, and Jael could tell this was the part Draco didn't like remembering.

"And did you?" Jael asked.

"I most certainly did." His eyes met hers and he caught the dreaded question: _how?_ He hesitated before answering quietly, "I gave the boy-king half of my heart."

Jael's dumbfounded stare came as no surprise, neither did her lack of coherent words. But she did manage, in a hush, "what?"

Draco nodded. "Half of my heart beat within his wicked breast for years."

Jael decided she didn't care to know the great details, but she pressed on cautiously. "So, what happened?"

Catching the uncertainty in her voice, Draco kept the rest of it vague. "A rebellion stormed the castle one day, and a brave knight killed the king, freeing the people of his cruel tyranny."

"Oh," Jael murmured and Draco idly thought she wouldn't look half as relieved if she knew just how the knight had slain the king. Her hand suddenly on his chest brought him back to the present.

"What are you doing?" He asked, brow furrowing in slight confusion and slight agitation.

"Your heart," she said after a few seconds of silence, "it beats... different."

Draco found a small smile on his lips for reasons he couldn't really pinpoint. "Well, child, it's not all there. Of course it beats strangely." He took her hand in his, brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it gently, causing her to blush faintly. "Enough about me. It's come to my attention that, though I've been staying with you for quite some time, I know nothing of your past."

Jael chuckled a little and tugged her hand from him. "Not much to say, really."

"Tell me, anyway."

She made a face. "I'm a born loner. I never bothered with people enough to come up with a super exciting past for myself. If anything, it's just plain boring and kind of – "

"Lonely?"

She flinched. "Yeah, I guess. It didn't really bother me, though."

"And does it now?"

"Not really," Jael said. "Because I'm not lonely anymore. And life's sure as hell not boring."

Draco arched an eyebrow, a smile creeping onto his lips again. "Since when?"

Jael gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment. It was a simple and honest answer she had in mind, but it made her heart pound like a war-drum and the was afraid the pink stain on her cheeks would give away more than she bargained for.

"Since you."


	5. True Faith

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Dragonheart, but I do own Kay and Jael - and my own copy of the Dragonheart novel.

* * *

**True Faith**

"You wouldn't happen to have any pictorial books on dragons, would you?" Jael asked the old bookstore owner.

The old man's eyebrows rose. "I think you're going to give Kay here a run for his money," he chuckled, nodding in Kay's general direction. "You've been in an out almost as much as him for the past month or so." He leaned forward on the counter with a small smirk on his cracked lips. "And always for books on dragons."

Jael cleared her throat, avoided Kay's sudden hard stare and shrugged a little, putting on a flippant smile. "What can I say? They're fascinating creatures," she said with a forced chuckle.

"Never saw the appeal in 'em myself," the shopkeep said.

"Not many do," Kay muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Anyway," the old man said, "what was it you were looking for?"

"Pictorial dragon books?" Jael asked, hopeful.

"He doesn't have any," Kay replied before the store owner could open his mouth. "But I do."

Jael's eyebrows rose curiously. "You do?"

"Yeah. If you come to my house, I'll gladly show you."

She almost regretted the uneasy groan that rose up from the back of her throat. "I suppose I could," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kay gave her half a smirk. "If you don't want to, I'm not holding a gun to your head."

"It's not that I don't want to," she explained, eyes focused on the toes of her boots, "it's just that..." If Draco found out she went to a stranger's house, she would never hear the end of it. Of course she could have argued that she knew Kay, having seen him every time she came to the bookstore, but Draco would, of course, have none of that. Kay was nothing more than a friendly acquaintance in his honest opinion.

"That...?"

"Eh, nothing," Jael said quietly. "Let's just be quick about it, alright?"

Kay was already heading for the door when he asked in the most casual of manners, "what's the rush?"

Bidding the shopkeep farewell, Jael rushed to catch up with Kay and walk out into the light snowfall at his side. "Draco will worry," Jael said simply.

"Dragon-man can wait," Kay said. Jael's blood ran colder than the snow falling.

"What?"

Kay smirked at her, shoving his bare hands into his coat pockets. "Draco means dragon," he explained, "or didn't you know?"

She breathed a small sigh of relief. "Oh, right. I knew that."

"Uh huh." He sounded like he had his doubts.

Glaring somewhat, she asked, "so where do you live, anyway?"

"Not too far from here," he replied.

And he had meant that quite literally. Kay lived barely two streets away from the bookstore, and Jael couldn't help but figure that was so perfectly convenient for him.

"Take your coat off," Kay said and pointed to a few hooks he had on the wall near the door, "and hang it there, and just shove your boots onto that mat."

Jael nodded and unzipped her coat. After she'd slipped it off, she hung it beside Kay's coat, then put her boots beside his after she'd taken them off.

"Now come with me," Kay instructed, motioning for her to follow him into the bedroom. She did, and stopped when she found him hunched over in his closet, shoving books and blankets aside.

"What are you doing?" Jael asked, cocking her head to the side and watching idly as a pair of mismatched socks were flung over the young man's shoulder.

"Getting that book for you," he said, voice muffled as he leaned into his closet a little more. A sneaker and a moth-eaten sweater later, he reared back on his toes and stood, spinning on his heal to face Jael. "Found it."

She took the book as he offered it and sat slowly onto his bed. "This looks like a sketch book," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He sat down beside her, hands braced on his kneecaps. "It is. It's my old sketch book, and it has more dragons in it than any historic book you'll come across."

Jael opened the book up, and didn't bother to try and stifle the gasp of surprise that slipped free from her mouth. "Oh my," she breathed, looking from the black and white image of a dragon to Kay, "that's amazing."

"Thanks," Kay said, head cocked to one side as he watched her flip through the old sketches. In his opinion they weren't as good as they could have been, nothing compared to what he could draw now. She lingered on the last page, brow wrinkled in thought as she ran her fingertips lightly over the incomplete image.

"How come this one isn't finished?"

Kay shrugged. "His story wasn't finished when I found him."

"I beg your pardon?"

He chuckled softly, shaking his head as he looked at the unfinished drawing. "When I was a kid, I'd find my inspiration in the weirdest places. For dragons, it came from the stars."

Jael's heart started to race. "From the stars?"

Kay nodded. "I heard this legend a long time ago about how worthy dragon souls turned into stars."

"I heard something similar," she muttered, staring hard at the sketch again. It looked familiar, but for the life of her she could not place it.

"Oh? Where from?" He questioned, standing. She closed the book, placed it on the bed and stood as well.

"Draco," she said, following him into the living room. "Why? Does it matter?"

He was silent as he lead her into the middle of the room. Keeping his back to her, he chewed lightly on his bottom lip, staring ahead. With a small, but pleasant sigh, he glanced over his shoulder to her.

"You know," Kay said as he walked away from her and toward a small bookcase mounted on the wall of the living room, "I have something I think you should read."

"And what's that?" Jael asked, hands clasped behind her back as she spun slowly on her heel, looking the room over. She took note of the white paint, the dated television, the easy chair and the matching sofa.

"This," he said as he waved a book over his shoulder at her, using his free hand to place the others he'd shifted about properly again.

"_This_ is what, exactly?" Jael asked, watching him walk back over to her.

"Over the years, the title's changed," he explained, handing the book entitled _The Glockenspur Chronicles_ to her, "and most of it's been reworded, modernized, but I'm sure you'll get the general gist of it."

Jael carefully opened the aged book, not wanting the spine to break or the pages to tear. She read the passage on the first page, a single sentence; _This is the tale of a Knight who slew a Dragon and vanquished Evil._

She looked up to Kay as he sat beside her on the sofa. "Seriously, what _is_ this?"

"Well, the critics say it's the next best thing to Arthurian mythology," he said, watching as she lowered her gaze again, turning another page gingerly. Jael's blood ran a little cooler, a little slower, as she read the inscription: _The Chronicles of Glockenspur, detailing the history of King Einon and the rebellion under His reign as set down by one Gilbert, a Friar._ In all that it was worth, it sounded too familiar in its vague description for her liking.

"What is it, really?" She asked in an almost-whisper.

"Exactly what it says," said Kay.

"Is it a true story?" Jael inquired, skimming through the book resting on her lap, words and phrases catching her eye now and then.

"Read it and then _you_ can tell _me_."

--

Jael spent that night reading, stopping only when she ran out of words. When the dragon died and the star was born. Closing the book and cradling it to her chest as she walked to her bedroom window, reveling in the feel of her heart pounding against the old leather, she felt like a little girl believing in fairy tales again. Eyes on the sky, she wondered if it was all just a coincidence that the instances described on the wearing pages practically mirrored the story Draco had told her weeks ago.

Looking to the heavens, seeing a fading constellation in the distance that formed a dragon for the first time, she had her doubts that it was mere fluke. Whatever remaining shreds of uncertainty that haunted her in her dreams for the rest of the night were disregarded come morning, when Draco greeted her not as a man but as he had come to her, winged and scaled; the most beautiful and imperfect mixture of man and myth.

"Good morning," Draco said, walking with light steps to the bed.

"Morning," Jael mumbled, smiling groggily at him as he sat beside her legs hidden under thick blankets meant to keep the early February chills away.

"Did you enjoy your read?" He asked, and Jael nodded, holding up the book that had kept her from the dragon-man last night.

Golden eyes widened a great deal, but Draco was quick to regain his composure. "Ah," he said, reaching over to gently pry the book from the human's grasp. He fingered the gold lettering on the black leather cover of the book as he laid it to rest against his lap. Jael, sitting up with a little effort, covered his hand with hers.

"You liked this, did you?" He inquired.

"Very much," Jael replied, watching him as he opened the book and skimmed through the text. The smile on his lips was almost sad, but it wasn't quite there.

"Yes," he spoke quietly, "I suppose it is a worthwhile read."

"It definitely is," Jael agreed in all seriousness.

"And... do you believe in this?" Draco asked. "In the words of Brother Gilbert?"

There was a distance in his voice, a far-off sense of familiarity, of longing for things worlds away, and Jael had to smile, even if it was bittersweetly.

"I do," she nodded, running her fingertips over his knuckles, then his fingers until she was able to slide her fingers under his palm. She gave his hand a squeeze.

Draco squeezed her hand back, assuming that was the natural reaction to such a gesture. "I thank you," he said quietly, "for having such faith."


	6. Disassociation

**Disclaimer:** This AU is mine, Dragonheart isn't.

* * *

**Disassociation**

The flash of lightning was bright, giving the old ruins an eerie glow and highlighting stone figures of legendary knights in such a way Kay had to blink away the ghosts that lingered afterward. Thunder rolled low and far away as the clouds opened up and let loose their cold and bitter downpour. He wiped the rain from his face and slicked back his hair, stumbling through an ancient establishment blindly until he found his way in front of a pillar. Even squinting and shielding his eyes from the rain, Kay couldn't quite make out the engraved image on the old, weathered stone. The lightning flashed again.

_A knight is sworn to valor... _

Kay took a step back, brow furrowed in confusion, heart racing anxiously. The afterimages the lightning produced didn't fade away this time. The aged voices of knights that may or may not have been were carried on the wind, and they chilled Kay more than the storm.

_His heart knows only virtue. _

He spun around, looking in all directions, into the hollow, sunken eyes of Lancelot and Galahad and Percival, and the one that shared his name.

"This isn't happening," he whispered, voice lost to the elements and specters. "This _can't_ be happening."

_His blade defends the helpless. _

Their voices rose. Louder, louder until he could no longer hear the thunder roaring above.

_His might upholds the weak. _

His knees were about to give out, the depth of their voices weighing him down to the worn, cobbled stone. He sunk down slowly, eyes wide as he stared at a pair of feet clad in pristine boots guarded by shining, silver armor.

_His word speaks only truth. _

Trembling, he looked up slowly, into the eyes of King Arthur, but the ghost king was not looking at him, nor were the others. They looked beyond him, into the shadows and to a man fast approaching.

"His wrath undoes the wicked," the man said once he stood within the circle of stones, and the ghosts vanished once the verse of the Code was completed. He drew his sword from its black sheath, the blade scarred down the center.

Kay recognized him, or at least the man's image, from _The Glockenspur Chronicles_. "Bowen?" He questioned breathlessly. "Christ, this seriously _can't_ be _real_," he muttered, rubbing his hands over his face.

The knight scoffed and made an upward motion with his sword. "On your feet," he ordered. Kay obeyed, and Bowen began to circle him.

"This is a dream of some kind," Kay mumbled to himself, watching the knight warily. "It has to be."

"A dream, you say?" Bowen laughed hollowly. "I'd say it's more of a nightmare!" And he lunged forward, the tip of his sword catching on Kay's shirt and tearing it as the boy managed a lucky dodge.

Putting his hands to his chest, to make certain the rogue knight had torn only his shirt and not his flesh, Kay felt something out of place. Looking down, he saw that over his heart was a wretched, knotted scar. He tore his eyes away from it, in time to see Bowen come at him again, and the pounding of his heart slowed down as the sword pierced his chest.

Kay coughed, choking on the bile that was rising in his throat. He stared into the older man's face, noting the tears streaking their way down Bowen's cheeks through the paths the rain made. But the tears didn't stop Bowen from driving the sword in deeper, and Kay clutched weakly at the blade, daring to lower his gaze at the same time.

The reflection forced Kay, in his weakening state, to do a double-take. It belonged to another man, and in the back of his mind Kay could match the name _Einon_ to the spectral image cast in the metal that shared with him the same ice blue eyes.

Bowen pulled the sword out, jerking Kay back and then forth as he did. Kay put a hand to his chest again, dipping his fingers gingerly into the deadly wound as he fell to his knees again, blood staining the white tunic he couldn't remember donning a cruel shade of crimson. Through blurry vision, he looked back to Bowen as the knight, too, fell to his knees and wept silently for reasons Kay could vaguely recall in the form of kinship and heartache and broken vows.

He fell to his side and his blood pooled in the rain slowly, beautifully. His dying heart beat slowly, incompletely, as the rain began to peel away his skin, scales rising in their place. He groaned weakly as his body twisted and contorted into a shape he knew from long ago, tucked safely away in his memories and in between the pages of a sketchbook.

"Forgive me," Bowen whispered with his head bowed, and it was hard to hear over the thunder that came not from the sky but from Kay's chest. Kay made a weak sound as everything began to fade away into a darkness not even the sudden glow of his blood could vanquish. The last thing to reach his ears was Bowen's sorrowful request, "forgive me, Draco."

--

Kay gave a shout as he was frightened out of sleep. He panted, his hands on his chest searching for wounds and scars that were his another lifetime ago. Feeling nothing but smooth flesh, chilled and sweating, he breathed a sigh of relief, and fell back on his bed. He was used to these dreams that were distorted memories of the tyrant he was long ago, but been scared him into waking, drenched in a cold sweat, shaking like a leaf in the wind because of them.

He laid there, still and staring at the ceiling, until his heart beat at a regular pace once more and no visions of his dream stared back at him every time he blinked. He forced himself out of bed, then showered and dressed before leaving his apartment to walk until the dream-like memory was completely forgotten, like so many others.

Rounding a corner, he caught sight of two people he could never mistake for others. He took a step back to ensure he wouldn't be seen as he watched Jael and Draco head up the street. Once a good distance was set between the two and himself, he began to walk again, slowly, and with his eyes on them.

He rose an eyebrow, noticing Jael had dyed her hair a dark shade of burgundy. In the light of the sun, it shone a strange, bright red. Red like blood. Like fire. Like red hair from long ago.

_No peace_, Einon's voice wafted by on the wind, quiet, maddened. _No peace_.

Kay shook his head clear of the horrible echo, pressing onward despite the way his head was reeling again. He had always wondered how Draco and Jael interacted when he wasn't around, and no was as good a time to find out as any.

The pair crossed the street and entered a park, and she stepped closer, hesitantly wrapping an arm around Draco's. Kay rose a brow as he waited for the light to change to green. Draco made no point to show any discomfort with the girl's action, if he felt any at all. He simply put his free hand into the pocket of his pants and continued to walk, as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

The light changed and Kay crossed into the park, still keeping that perfect distance between him and the two ahead. There was a chill surging through his veins that wasn't brought on by his past-self but the moment she leaned in closer and put her head to his shoulder, laughing over something he had said.

Until now, Kay had never felt jealousy before. He'd had no reason to, having been content with his dragons and his sketches, the stars and what lied beyond for those who dared to believe in such magic. For a bitter moment, he wished he was a kid again. Then the only kind of pain that had frequented his heart was the disappointment of being unable to finish a sketch because his stub of a pencil clutched between calloused fingers decided to break.

Then it had been as easy as taking out a new pencil, and the ache would be gone. Now things were very different, because he wanted her and she wanted the dragon.

_A love dart from Cupid..._ Einon's presence chuckled, repeating words the object of his own affections had uttered after stabbing him in the shoulder.

"Shut up," Kay muttered under his breath as he sat down on a park bench, running a hand through his hair and tilting his head skyward, eyes squeezed into a squint to block out the glare of the sun.

Kay heard Jael laughing again, and Draco laughed with her this time. He sighed and cursed inwardly.

_No peace._


End file.
